vtchris
vermont
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Joined: 05/24/2005
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Please don't tell me to do a search on here, as I already did it. But I am still confused. A lot of the results on "wifi booster" tell me about how to boost my signal going out and I want the best device that will amplify the incoming signals so I can find those free hot spots while traveling. And how do you attach such a thing to my laptop? What works for you? What should I be looking for? What problems to watch out for? Thanks!
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Fizz
Ottawa, Canada
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Joined: 07/28/2003
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Read this and follow all the links in it.
WIFI
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Where we spend our summer months ...Cottage
Trailer pics: Trail Bay 27DS
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BillArf
New York & Florida
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Joined: 03/21/2005
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Is your wifi card built into your laptop or are you using a wifi card you plug into a card slot on the laptop?
Bill in NY & Fl
2002 Fleetwood Southwind 32VS
Ford/V10
'07 Jeep Wrangler/Blue Ox
Overbilt Lifts, Inc. bike lift / '01 Harley Fatboy --> Look at my lift setup HERE
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TMBLSN
Washington State
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Joined: 04/07/2008
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You can't 'boost' an incoming signal. Either you can receive the signal, or you can't. If it isn't strong enough to receive, it can't be boosted.
If an incoming signal is strong enough to be 'boosted', then you don't need to boost it, because you are already receiving the signal.
You can only boost your outgoing signal.
2006 Jayco 275BHS
1998 C2500
Lee
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vtchris
vermont
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My wifi card is built in.
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jauguston
Bellingham, WA
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Joined: 07/03/2005
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I have experimented with a lot of different WIFI hookups and right now the best working thing I have found is a Alfa AWUS036H 500mw USB adapter. It has a screw on antenna and I have their 9db gain "rubber duckie" antenna with their magnetic base. That and a extension cable to get where you want to put the antenna. All from Data-alliance.com. I also have a 14db gain cantenna type directional antenna that works very well. Don't remember where I got it. I get good signal strength over 1/4 mile away from a hotspot in a restaurant near where we camp often. I have given the owner a small gratuity for using his hotspot when we are not in his restaurant. He is happy and so am I.
My built-in WIFI is very short range.
Jim
Jim, Sharon and Buddy the Yorkie
1999 Gulfstream Sun Voyager 31' ISB Cummins 210 uprated to 275
Trippe-Lite 1800w inverter 4-6v GC batteries
3- Kyocera 130w solar panels
1987 Suzuki Samurai tintop Toad w/VW 1.6 turbo diesel power
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Bucky Badger
Madison, WI
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Joined: 11/05/2007
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Here was a thread I saved so I can do it next summerhttp://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseac........d/tid/20853606/srt/pa/pging/1/page/1.cfm
Fred & Jodie, dogs, Zoey & Bella
2007 Nissan Titan, 5.6L Big tow, Equli-z-er Hitch
2007 Forest River Salem 27RB LE
Member Titantalk.com
Nights camping 08 (43)
Rallies/Gatherings
IL 
WI
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vtchris
vermont
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Joined: 05/24/2005
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Bucky, your link is 2.5 years old, that is ancient information in the tech field.
Jim, your information was too sophisticated for me. Do these things plug into my laptop? What about software? Do I need an adapter AND an antenna? What does the antenna plug into to?
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jauguston
Bellingham, WA
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The key to the description I gave is "USB" (-: It plugs into a USB port and comes with the software on a disc. The antenna plugs into the adapter. Go to data-alliance.net and look at the picture.
Its not so much what you need it is how much signal and how much range do you want. Its like racing - speed costs money-how fast do you want to go (-:
Jim
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SCVJeff
Santa Clarita, CA.
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Joined: 07/28/2006
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TMBLSN wrote:You can't 'boost' an incoming signal. Either you can receive the signal, or you can't. If it isn't strong enough to receive, it can't be boosted.
If an incoming signal is strong enough to be 'boosted', then you don't need to boost it, because you are already receiving the signal.
You can only boost your outgoing signal. Sure you can, it's called a low noise pre-amp and the one in my 1/2W in-line WiFi Bi-Directional amplifier works just fine. The graph on Net Stumbler shows somewhere around +8-10db boost on the incoming signal from a laptop sitting in the RV outside the house.
Jeff - WA6EQU
'06 Itasca Meridian 34H, CAT C7/350
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